Olle Baertling (1911-1981) Sweden

Olle Baertling moved at the age of 17 from his hometown of Halmstad to Stockholm, where he remained until his death. He began his artistic travels in Paris, as an apprentice with the influential French artists André Lhote and Fernand Léger, who also advised the Swedish artists Bengt Lindström and Harald Sandberg. Bærtling was a diverse artist, working with both painting and sculpture. Geographic, non-figurative elements are characteristic of his style. Black triangles from different angles are often present in his work, but over time, color became a popular feature as well. He placed the tip of the triangle beyond the frame of the piece, creating a geometrically open form that draws the eye to see beyond what was actually painted. His first solo show took place in 1949 in Stockholm, after which he showed regularly around Europe and Canada until his death in 1981. Shortly after he passed away, a major retrospective of his work took place at Malmö Konsthall and Moderna Museet. Today, he lives on through the Bærtling Foundation. In 1983, Bærtling and his wife Lisa von Roxendorf- Bærtling formed the foundation, which awards scholarships to young artists annually. Most of his sculptures can be seen around Sweden, including Xral outside of the Stockholm School of Economics.